It's pretty easy to see that higher education in Colorado has had a bumpy ride these last few years--state funding seems to always be shrinking, faculty firings, and controversial hirings of presidents and administrative leaders (see here and here). It seems to be one thing after another. Just this week we found out that the independent faculty newspaper at CU, the Silver & Gold, is being forced to shut down due to budget cuts. All reporting at CU will now be done by the university's very own public relations department.

A bill was introduced late last week to attempt to bring a little bit more transparency to higher education in Colorado. HB-1369 outlines a simple and transparent process for hiring university presidents and chancellors. It's become the norm for these high-level hirings of public institutions to be done behind closed doors. HB-1369 will bring back some integrity to this process. The 2009 legislative session ends Tuesday, so these votes are going to come fast. Take a minute and urge your legislators to vote yes on this last bill of the season. It's an important one.

Click here to send a quick letter to your legislators urging for a yes vote on the "Transparency in Higher Education" bill!